The people of the Goldfields

The Goldfields of Western Australia was and still is made up of many people, from poets to politicians, from saints and sinners and everything in between. I hope to tell you the stories of some of these people either famous or infamous or just the ordinary folks. Sometime the most ordinary people do the most extraordinry things

So All’s Well that Ends Well –

Western Mail Perth 30 January 1941, page 9 – The Dollypot Over the Plates – A Lucky Shot. by Big Jim Allanson. All sorts and conditions of men were to be found on the Murchison goldfield in 1893.  A number of prospectors were camped at a rocky pool on the west side of the Cuddingwarra […]

Joanni Fidele Scattini – grave tales

Joanni (Joseph) Fidele SCATTINI was born on the 17th Dec 1879 in Strathfieldsaye, Victoria to Giovanni Antonio Fidele SCATTINI (Born in Brione, Verzasca, Switzerland) and Mary Elizabeth GOOD (born Sheep Wash, Victoria). He married Martha Wilson in Kalgoorlie WA on the 5th Aug 1908. Martha was from Adelaide Lead VIC and was the daughter of […]

Broad Arrow Cemetery – Kurawah

For some time I have been working on my database of burials at the Broad Arrow Cemetery. My final total as of now, is 191 burials with 18 headstones (this is never set in stone and can change if new details come to light). Every cemetery provides a snapshot of the community at the time, […]

A Tale of Two Franks –

Earlier this year I was in correspondence with Julie McKenna and she told me of her wonderful family story which appeared in the Warrnambool Standard newspaper on 13th February 2024.  I would like to acknowledge and thank Jenny McLaren, of The Warrnambool Standard, for her kind permission to reproduce the story, and to Julie for […]

‘Bold McManaway’ – publican and gentleman

From Finder of Relics February 16, 2021 JOHN MCMANAWAY OF CUE, BLACK RANGE AND SANDSTONE Author – Vivienne Sinclair. John McManaway was born in Roscommon, Ireland in 1863. He moved to Victoria, Australia and by the age of 21 years had married Mary Glover. They had 6 children and by 1895 the family had moved […]